Most Favoured Nation status to India by President ABF Mr. Salim Ghauri

MEETING WITH US AID DELEGATION

ABF AT THE GOVERNOR HOUSE LAHORE

NEW OFFICE BEARERS OF ABF

DINNER WITH U.S AMBASSADOR MR. CAMERON P. MUNTER on 06-11-2010

1st ANNUAL DINNER OF ABF

American Business Forum Launched

Lahore, May 21, 2009: The U.S. ambassador to Pakistan today attended the launch of the American Business Forum (ABF) at an impressive ceremony held at Pearl Continental, Lahore. The ABF has been established to be a representative body of all those U.S. origin businesses in Pakistan who choose to become members and who are duly awarded the membership, and especially those U.S. businesses that are located in the northern half of the country.

The ABF will proactively promote growth of trade, commerce and business between Pakistan and the USA. It will support and protect in all possible ways, the business interests of the members before the government, corporate sector, not-for-profit institutions, other legal entities and the general public. Further, it will help create greater understanding and empathy for U.S. businesses in Pakistan with all audiences and stakeholders.

Speaking at length on the occasion, Rizwan U. Khan, Country Manager of Coca-Cola and the first president of the ABF highlighted the extensive and historical ties between U.S. origin businesses and Pakistan. He pointed out that the U.S. by itself takes up 25 percent of Pakistan’s total exports. Further he said that U.S. businesses in Pakistan have made substantial contribution over several decades to the Pakistan economy, in terms of investment, contribution to the national exchequer in the form of taxes and duties, creation of direct and indirect employment, transfer of technology, human resource capacity building, growth impetus to vendor industries and even as being a catalyst for other foreign investment.

He also called upon the government of Pakistan to effectively address the various problems being faced by U.S. businesses in Pakistan, with violations of intellectual property rights being one of the biggest threats to both existing business and to future investment. The ABF already boasts over 30 U.S. origin companies working in Pakistan as its members and this number is expected to grow. The companies cover a wide range of sectors, including food and beverages, information technology, pharmaceutical and engineering. Some, like Coca-Cola, have been doing business in Pakistan for over 50 years